What is the latest book you have read recently? Tell your friends here. I have just finished an "old" book but it is the latest book I have read. It is "Greek myth". Oh, it tooks me some weeks to read but I bet it is worth reading. I guess you read it already, didn't you? I am so impressed by the way Athena-Goddess of wisdom was born. She was born from her Dad-Zeus's HEAD. :o

_Arale_

Last edited by Arale on Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.

i'm reading that Greek Myth desperately, too T_T i remember one deity was born from Zeus's thigh >"< unbelievable. marriage between mother and sons, siblings, father and daughter, etc. 8) nevertheless, that book is somehow interesting as it provides me some useful background knowledge.

Arale wrote:What is the latest book you read recently? Tell your friends here. I have just finished an "old" book but it is the latest book I have read. It is "Greek myth". Oh, it tooks me some weeks to read but I bet it is worth reading. I guess you read it already, didn't you? I am so impressed by the way Athena-Goddess of wisdom was born. She was born from her Dad-Zeus's HEAD.

_Arale_

i'm reading that Greek Myth desperately, too T_T i remember one deity was born from Zeus's thigh >"< unbelievable. marriage between mother and sons, siblings, father and daughter, etc. 8) nevertheless, that book is somehow interesting as it provides me some useful background knowledge.

:D since you two are reading this book and you both think it's good, I think I should give it a try then.

The lates book I've read ... it would be Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist. But now, I'm reading it again as so many words I didn't understand, ugh, it's British English.
But before that, I read Musashi, a legendary samurai once lived in Japan who wrote The Book of Five Rings.

I love reading books&magazines,and the recent book I've finished should be ......the Davinci code!Well if you had read,maybe you would think it fantastic and I just got such feelings.But I haven't got enough time to confirm lots of facts mentioned in it.

When I first saw the title of the book, I was, Meh, I don't see myself reading it. But then I kept bumping into it here and there. I thought it was a sign telling me I should give it a try. So I did. And I was reading it from its first page to the end nonstop. I could not stop myself from laughing and nodding, "Uh huh! That's right!" I laugh for his witty humor and I laugh for his extraordinary observation about surrounding life. If you would like how Americans think about America, try this book out. Conservative religious peeps, please don't read if you can't take jokes from the outsiders. People who are easily offended, please don't touch the book either.
This is a story that I quote from the book,

"The continuing story of Mary and Joseph: "It's a boy""
Mary: Joe, we're gonna have a baby.
Joe: What? That's impossible. All I ever do is put it between your thighs.
Mary: Well, I don't know. Something must've gone wrong.
Joe: Who says you're pregnant?
Mary: An angel appeared to me in the backyard and said so.
Joe: An angel?
Mary: An angel of God. His name was Gabriel. He had a trumpet and he appeared to me in the backyard.
Joe: He what?
Mary: He appeared to me.
Joe: Was he naked?
Mary: No. I think he had on a raincoat. I don't really know. He was glowing so brightly.
Joe: Mary, you're under a lot of stress. Why don't you take a few days off from the shop. The accounts can wait.
Mary: I'm telling you, Joe. This Angel Gabriel said that God wanted me to have his baby.
Joe: Did you ask for some sort of sign?
Mary: Of course I did. He said tomorrow morning I'd start getting sick.
Joe: But why should God want a kid?
Mary: Well, Gabriel said that according to Luke it's kind of an ego thing. Plus, he promised the Jews a long time ago; it's just that he never got around to it. But now he that he feels ready for children he doesn't want to just make them out of clay or dust. He wants to get humans involved.
Joe: Well, is he going to help toward raising the kid? God knows we can't do it alone. I could use a bigger shop, and maybe he could throw a couple of those nice crucifix contracts my way. The Romans are nailin' up everything that walks.
Mary: Honey, Gabriel said not to worry. The kid would be a real winner. A public speaker and good with miracles.
Joe: Well, that's a relief. Anyway, I guess now that you're officially pregnant I can start puttin' it inside you.
Mary: I'm sorry, honey. God wants it to be strictly a virgin birth.
Joe: I don't get it.
Mary: That's right, Joe.
Joe: Don't I get to do anything?
Mary: He wants you to come up with a name for the kid.
Joe: Jesus Christ!
Mary: Joe, you're so heavy."

BTW, my english listening skill is pretty bad, but I just listened to Clinton's speech. it sounds like he was telling about his parents, right? his dad sent flowers to his mom before they got married, right?

I have just finished All the rivers run by Nancy Cato. These are some wonderful passages in the story. I am trying to find the original but haven't found yet.

An individual human existance should be-take a river-small at first, narrowlly fast boulders and over waterfalls. Gradually, the river grows wider, the bank recedes, the waters flow more quietly, and the end, without any visable break, they become merged in the sea and painlessly lose, its individual being.

--

All the rivers are flowing into sea but sea is never full. The rivers always fall on the origin where they started. Human life is like these rivers, life comes and goes together with time. It always goes by but never stops renovating, always changes but stays the same all the time. There is no death as at the end is the start of a new bud...

i read Cao Xueqin`s masterpiece "dream of the red chamber" on these days.i as reading as listening to the music of "dream of the red chamber" .i feel that is the greatest.i can help you to find the book and the music if everyone who interest in it .it is one of fourth masterpiece in china.somebody said that i heard if you have read the book for four times,you will unknowing tears.i hope everyone have have chance to read it .also i am very pleased to share my recept of the book.i don`t think you will waste time for reading it.

Lalee wrote:I'm not reading any book because I don't have the money to afford one.

You can't borrow books at the library? :?

No, I don't even have money to get a library card.
I have some old books on my shelf and I think I've read them hundred of times.
Guys, if you have an old book around, would you mind lending it to me?
I would really appreciate that!

Yes, my dear Dixie.
For instance, we have the National Library here which is quite big. You need to get a card to enter and everything. Also, you are not allowed to borrow a book. Yeah, it sucks, doesn't it?

There are also small libraries around Lima and I suppose they are free.
There is a library in my school and I need a card as well if I want to borrow a book. This card can be yours for 20 soles. I know it's not much but it's money, y'know?
Anyway, I usually go there in order to read something. Too bad I cannot borrow any books from there. Even though I'm a student.
Come to think of it, I used to borrow books from that library. Yeah, students were allowed to borrow books from a particular section. I don't know what happened since then. It seems that policies changed or something.

Dix, have mercy on this poor girl and and lend her an old book of yours, ok?

Last edited by Lalee on Tue Jun 28, 2005 5:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lalee wrote:For instance, we have the National Library here which is quite big. You need to get a card to enter and everything. Also, you are not allowed to borrow a book. Yeah, it sucks, isn't it?

How come you can't borrow a book from a library? What kind of a library is that? I had never heard something like that before. So weird :? Why is that? Maybe they had bad experiences before, such as stealing or books disappearing and that's why they do not allow books to be borrowed? Anyway it's still weird...

Lalee wrote:I'm not reading any book because I don't have the money to afford one.

You can't borrow books at the library? :?

No, I don't even have money to get a library card.
I have some old books on my shelf and I think I've read them hundred of times.
Guys, if you have an old book around, would you mind lending it to me?
I would really appreciate that!

Wow, I did not know that. I think my friend in Vietnam said they have to pay for the library cards, too. It's monthly or something, and it's quite expensive. Most of my cousins in Vietnam have never gone to a library, can you believe that?

Lalee wrote:For instance, we have the National Library here which is quite big. You need to get a card to enter and everything. Also, you are not allowed to borrow a book. Yeah, it sucks, doesn't it?

How come you can't borrow a book from a library? What kind of a library is that? I had never heard something like that before. So weird :? Why is that? Maybe they had bad experiences before, such as stealing or books disappearing and that's why they do not allow books to be borrowed? Anyway it's still weird...

I think that's the reason, Dix. Maybe they have had bad experiences when they used to lend books to people.

Last year, when I got the National library card, I thought I would be able to borrow some books. But I was so disappointed when I realized that it was not possible to take the books home.
Now people who have the card can just read al the books they want "there". :(

LennyeTran wrote:
Wow, I did not know that. I think my friend in Vietnam said they have to pay for the library cards, too. It's monthly or something, and it's quite expensive. Most of my cousins in Vietnam have never gone to a library, can you believe that?

Monthly? :o
Here's different. Library cards last for a whole year. And it's not too expensive. In fact, the price is reasonable. I'm just stingy.
I think I'll get the library card of my school the coming month. I'm tired of reading the same books over and over again.

Lennye, I really feel sorry for your cousins there in Vietnam. I believe that the best gifts for them would be books, don't you think?

LennyeTran wrote:
Wow, I did not know that. I think my friend in Vietnam said they have to pay for the library cards, too. It's monthly or something, and it's quite expensive. Most of my cousins in Vietnam have never gone to a library, can you believe that?

Monthly? :o
Here's different. Library cards last for a whole year. And it's not too expensive. In fact, the price is reasonable. I'm just stingy.
I think I'll get the library card of my school the coming month. I'm tired of reading the same books over and over again.

I'm not quite sure about this, though. My friend said monthly, but some said they can borrow books at school, just not taking home, the same thing like your case. And I can't ask my cousins because I think it kinda runs in the family-- we don't look for books. If someone recommends us to see some books because they're good, we'll give them a try. We don't normally go look for good books to read . Mostof the books I've read are either for my classes, my boyfriend makes me read, or people's recommendations.

Lalee wrote:Lennye, I really feel sorry for your cousins there in Vietnam. I believe that the best gifts for them would be books, don't you think?

Hehehehehehe... I've tried it once and they called me geeky. Oh no, not that, the other word. The bookish word. So disappointed! What's happened to it's the thought that counts.

The Bonfire of the vanities by Tom Wolfe. I haven't seen the movie, but the book is worth reading. Twisted plot; interesting ways of discribing characters (he discribes characters' s fashion sense a lot) through clothings, behaving, thinking to emphasize their characteristics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bonfir ... e_Vanities

violet wrote:I just finished The Little Prince. I had heard of it thousands of times, but this was the first time I read it. It is really a moving fairy tale! What a lovely boy the little prince is! What a sad story that he is bited by the snake and left earth! I think every girl likes to be the rose in little prince's planet...

I suggest you read it, if you haven't read it before.

:) thanks for your suggestion! I have heard of this book but I haven´t bought it yet.I guess I wasn´t so excited.Thanks a lot!
I am finishing reading " After the funeral" by Agatha Christie.The story is really good!
bye.

Violet, I liked The Little Prince a lot and I often read it again.
I think that we should never forget its deepest message: appearance is not important, we should follow what we feel, what our heart suggests us...

Lalee wrote:Today I started reading another book written by Charles Dickens. It's going smoothly so far. :)
I'm planning to read a different book every week. Let's see how it goes.

That's what I usually do in the summer. I write down all the books people have recommended me to read during the year or books on the best-sellers list. Then I borrow them at the library. At my area, we can keep a book for three weeks and we can borrow up till 40 books per week. Thus, in one summer I can read over 20 books.
If you read them in English, you will be amazed of how your English will be improved. Their style of writing will also influent yours. I think you're on a right track of becoming a good writer. Keep it up .

Wow. 40 books is a lot. You are so lucky, Lennye. Wait, is it four or forty?
At the library where I usually borrow books, you have only two weeks to read them and just can borrow two books per week, that is. Of course you can always renew the book.

Thanks for the encouragement, by the way. I always try to read in English as much as possible. :D

Lalee wrote:Today I started reading another book written by Charles Dickens.

You're reading Dickens? What book? Let me know what you think about it when you finish! ;)

The title of the book is "Great Expectations."
Earlier I was catching up with my reading and I stopped when I was on page 40 or something.
The book is not big at all. As a matter of fact, it's pretty small. I think it's about 100 pages long.
Dix, I'll let you know about it as soon as I'm done with it.

Last edited by Lalee on Thu Aug 11, 2005 7:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Lalee wrote: :o 40 is a lot, Lennye. I wish there were a library like that here. Libraries here suck ass!

Yeah but amazingly enough, some people still complain about it. Last time I had to do a project about a culture, so I needed to find books of it. I came to the library at 9 something (it's open at 10), I was waiting outside and there were already bunch of people waiting at the door. They were talking so loud. I made a conversation with a group of college students (it was fun). We came to a point about how many books we could borrow at the library, and they were bitter because they could only borrow 40 books . So weird....

LennyeTran wrote:
Yeah but amazingly enough, some people still complain about it. Last time I had to do a project about a culture, so I needed to find books of it. I came to the library at 9 something (it's open at 10), I was waiting outside and there were already bunch of people waiting at the door. They were talking so loud. I made a conversation with a group of college students (it was fun). We came to a point about how many books we could borrow at the library, and they were bitter because they could only borrow 40 books . So weird....

Ok Lennye, let me get this straight... the students were upset because they could "only" borrow 40 books?? *Gasp*
If they were bitter just for that, I wonder what they would do if they lived here...Hmm...I think they would destroy the libraries here showing their anger and disagreement.
Watch out Lima libraries!